Middle East

Analysis2026 NDS: America First Ushers in a New Era of Selective Engagement in the Middle East

Amal Chmouny 24/01 19:40 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

The newly released 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) marks a dramatic pivot in American foreign policy, embracing what officials call “pragmatic realism” while fundamentally redefining U.S. engagement in the Middle East. Under an “America First” framework, the strategy moves away from large-scale military interventions in favor of ...

Hezbollah-Affiliated Al-Akhbar to Scale Back Due to Funding Cuts

This is Beirut 24/01 19:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Nabih Berry

The Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar is carrying out widespread terminations and restructuring amid funding cuts, according to Beirut Time News. According to the report, the financial changes were announced suddenly and without prior notice, as departments were reorganized and employees received cuts in their salaries and ...

More IS Detainees Heading to Iraq from Syria: Iraqi Officials

This is Beirut 24/01 18:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Iraq USMilitary ISIS

Hundreds of Islamic State group detainees were being transferred from Syria to Iraq on Saturday, the second batch since the US announced plans to relocate the jihadists there, two Iraqi security officials told AFP. "The prisoner transfer operation is ongoing, with US forces transporting detainees by land and air," an Iraqi security official said, ...

Qatar Pledges $480 Million and Plans to Rebuild Three Destroyed Villages in South Lebanon

This is Beirut 24/01 17:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon South Lebanon Lebanese Army Nawaf Salam Hezbollah

Qatar has decided to allocate $480 million to fund projects and investments in Lebanon, while preparing to rebuild three destroyed villages in the south, according to information obtained by daily An-Nahar. The initiative is reminiscent of Doha’s role in post-war reconstruction following the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. The ...

Salam, Macron Discuss Lebanese Sovereignty, Security and Reforms in Paris

This is Beirut 23/01 23:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon France Reform Nawaf Salam Emmanuel Macron

On Friday evening, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to discuss Lebanon’s internal reforms and consolidation of state control. Salam reiterated that the Lebanese state is committed to its goal of confiscating all non-state weapons on Lebanese territory. Macron stated that France will ...

U.S. to Sanction Iran’s Shadow Fleet as Details of Protest Crackdown Surface

This is Beirut 23/01 20:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Iran Sanctions Protests

On Friday, the U.S. announced that it had imposed sanctions on nine vessels and eight entities that are part of Iran’s shadow fleet, according to a press statement from State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott. The imposition of sanctions on Iranian shadow fleet vessels is a move of U.S. escalation against the Iranian ...

UN Rights Chief Urges Iran to 'End Brutal Repression'

This is Beirut 23/01 15:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Iran UN IranProtests MiddleEast Human Rights Repression

The United Nations rights chief decried Friday that "thousands" of people, including children, had died in Iran's crackdown on nationwide protests and urged the authorities to "end their brutal repression." Speaking at the start of a UN Human Rights Council urgent meeting on the situation in Iran, Volker Turk urged the authorities in Tehran "to ...

Yoav Gallant: Lebanon at a Crossroads

This is Beirut 23/01 15:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Middle East Tehran

Former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant wrote an article titled “Written in Ink, Signed in Fire,” in which he offers a description of the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, arguing that agreements alone do not produce lasting peace unless they are backed by military superiority that imposes facts on the ground. In the article, ...

Iran Dismisses Trump’s Claim He Prevented 800 Hangings

This is Beirut 23/01 13:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Middle East Tehran Ukraine

Iran's Attorney General said on Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump's allegations that Tehran stopped the execution of 800 detained protesters because of his intervention are "absolutely incorrect.” According to the judiciary’s Mizan news agency, Mohammad Mohebi said, “This claim is entirely ...

Netanyahu Joins Gaza Board of Peace Despite Misgivings

This is Beirut 23/01 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Donald Trump Hamas Israel Gaza USA

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to take part in the U.S.-led Board of Peace overseeing postwar Gaza, despite mounting unease within Israel’s leadership over the structure and membership of the body, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Thursday. The decision, the official said, reflects the reality of Israel’s ...

U.S. Weighs Full Military Withdrawal From Syria

This is Beirut 23/01 09:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump Middle East Syria Kurds

The United States is considering a full military withdrawal from Syria, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, which said Washington is reassessing its presence amid rapidly changing conditions on the ground. The newspaper reported that internal discussions within the Trump administration are exploring multiple scenarios to reduce, or ...

Trump Says U.S. Still Watching Iran, Fleet Sailing to Region

This is Beirut 23/01 09:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA Iran USNavy IranProtests

President Donald Trump said Thursday a US naval "armada" was heading toward the Gulf, maintaining pressure on Iran, although he has recently downplayed the prospect of imminent military action. Last week, Trump pulled back from a threat to strike Iran over its deadly crackdown on anti-government protests after the White House said Tehran had ...